Overcoming the challenges of monitoring and evaluating environmental flows through science–management partnerships (original) (raw)
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Scientific panels and their use in environmental flow assessment in Australia
Scientific' or 'Expert' Panels have played an important role in water resource management in Australia in recent years. Scientific Panels have been an excellent knowledge exchange mechanism, providing a synthesis of multidisciplinary information and expertise on various river management issues, such as approaches to river rehabilitation, the setting of river health objectives or in developing environmental flow recommendations for regulated rivers. Many Panels have been convened to provide recommendations on environmental flows for regulated river systems within a relatively short time frame (eg rapid appraisals over 6-12 months) because of demanding Federal and State initiatives. As rapid appraisals utilise best-available information, they can be limited by the quality of existing information and the experience of Panel members. Indeed, many Scientific Panels are consistently confronted with the same range of information or knowledge gaps, particularly on the relationship between flow regime and the distribution and abundance of biota. The usefulness of Scientific Panels, as applied to river management issues such as environmental flow assessment, may decline unless there is investment to overcome key knowledge gaps such as the preferred flow regime of important riverine species or communities. The ongoing use of Scientific Panels for determining environmental flows would also be bolstered by the development of a clear process for selecting Panel members, protocols to guide the conduct of Panels, and guidelines for presenting the strength of evidence used in decision making.
Environmental Research Letters, 2023
The implementation of environmental flows (e-flows) aims to reduce the negative impacts of hydrological alteration on freshwater ecosystems. Despite the growing attention to the importance of e-flows since the 1970s, actual implementation has lagged. Therefore, we explore the limitations in e-flows implementation, their systemic reasons, and solutions. We conducted a systematic review and a bibliometric analysis to identify peer-reviewed articles published on the topic of e-flows implementation research in the last two decades, resulting in 68 research and review papers. Co-occurrence of terms, and geographic and temporal trends were analyzed to identify the gaps in environmental water management and propose recommendations to address limitations on e-flows implementation. We identify the underlying causes and potential solutions to such challenges in environmental water management. The limitations to e-flow implementation identified were categorized into 21 classes. The most recognized limitation was the competing priorities of human uses of water (n = 29). Many secondary limitations, generally co-occurring in co-causation, were identified as limiting factors, especially for implementing more nuanced and sophisticated e-flows. The lack of adequate hydrological data (n = 24) and ecological data (n = 28) were among the most mentioned, and ultimately lead to difficulties in starting or continuing monitoring/adaptive management (n = 28) efforts. The lack of resource/capacity (n = 21), experimentation (n = 19), regulatory enforcement (n = 17), and differing authorities involved (n = 18) were also recurrent problems, driven by the deficiencies in the relative importance given to e-flows when facing other human priorities. In order to provide a clearer path for successful e-flow implementation, system mapping can be used as a starting point and general-purpose resource for understanding the sociohydrological problems, interactions, and inherited complexity of river systems. Secondly, we recommend a system analysis approach to address competing demands, especially with the use of coupled water-energy modeling tools to support decision-making when hydropower generation is involved. Such approaches can better assess the complex interactions among the hydrologic, ecological, socioeconomic, and engineering dimensions of water resource systems and their effective management. Lastly, given the complexities in environmental water allocation, implementation requires both scientific rigor and proven utility. Consequently, and where possible, we recommend a move from simplistic flow allocations to a more holistic approach informed by hydroecological principles. To ease conflicts between competing water demands, water managers can realize more 'pop per drop' by supporting key components of a flow regime that include functional attributes and processes that enhance biogeochemical cycling, structural habitat formation, and ecosystem maintenance.
Flow–ecology relationships: closing the loop on effective environmental flows
Marine and Freshwater Research, 2014
Providing flows for biota and environmental processes is a challenging water management issue. For society the ability and willingness to allocate water to sustain the environment is increasingly competitive due to escalating demand and as a consequence of climate change. In response, an array of environmental flow (E-flow) methods have developed. Our view is that few E-flows have been implemented and even fewer evaluated in a research and management context. Much of our science effort in E-flows has been directed primarily at method development, with less attention being given to monitoring, evaluation and subsequent revision of E-flow strategies. Our objectives are to highlight the lack of connection between current trends in E-flow literature and theory with assessment of the efficacy and practical application of these methods. Specifically, effective E-flows need to be explicit about flow-ecology relationships to adequately determine the amount and timing of water required. We b...